Pike County teacher surprised with $25,000 Milken Educator Award
A Pike County teacher was surprised Wednesday morning with a huge educator award for his work in the classroom.
Goshen High School teacher Christian Stanley was announced as the winner of the $25,000 Milken Educator Award in a special all-school assembly, complete with a visit from Alabama State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey.
Standing in front of his students and colleagues to accept the award, Stanley was one of 30 educators nationwide to receive it this year – and the only one in Alabama.
“Christian Stanley excels as an educator, mentor, colleague, and community leader,” said Milken Educator Awards Vice President Stephanie Bishop, who is also a 2001 Virginia Milken Educator. “The Pike County Agriscience Academy is unparalleled. Students are lucky to have such rich, hands-on experiences that allow them to make meaningful contributions to the global economy and build the foundation for a bright future. Congratulations, Christian!”
While students raise cattle and goats, manage greenhouses, and restore tractors, Goshen High School Stanley ensures the Pike County Agriscience Academy is a well-oiled machine. Stanley teaches middle and high school students through the district’s Pike County Agriscience Academy—Alabama’s only high school agriculture education program offering college credit.
Dually enrolled students can graduate with a short-term certificate or an associate’s degree in agriscience free of charge through Enterprise State Community College, where Stanley is an adjunct instructor.
Stanley also teaches classes such as animal and dairy science, horticulture, landscape design, floral design, and agriscience explorations. Prioritizing hands-on learning, he guides students in managing a freight farm controlled climate agriculture system—growing hundreds of heads of lettuce weekly that supply lunchrooms throughout the community.
Stanley also serves as an advisor to Goshen’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter. He prepares students for competitions, incorporating STEM, CTE, and career development into his curriculum. The chapter has produced winning teams, and district and state student officers.
Stanley joins a national network of over 3,000 Milken Educators spanning the Awards’ nearly 40-year history as the nation’s preeminent teacher-recognition program.
Hailed as the “Oscars of Teaching,” the Awards initiative has no formal application or nomination process. Outstanding K-12 educators are sought out while early to mid-career for what they have achieved—and for the promise of what they will accomplish given the resources and opportunities afforded by the Award.
“Mr. Stanley represents everything we hope for in Alabama classrooms. He has a heart for students, provides excellent instruction, and has a deep commitment to his school and community,” said Dr. Mackey. “To see that kind of work recognized on a national stage with the Milken Educator Award is special not just for this teacher, but for Pike County and our entire state. This honor shines a light on what’s possible when purpose and persistence come together in education.”
Stanley is Alabama’s 43rd recipient since the state joined the Milken Educator Awards program in 1998 and is the first-ever recipient from Pike County Schools.
